A FOCUS ON fIBER ARTS Stitches East -- A knitter's land of milk and honey in Hartford

HARTFORD>> Thrill seekers whose passion is knitting and crochet will converge on the Hartford Convention Center this Oct 12 ,13, and 14 for this year's Stitches East weekend. This annual knitting event is one of four such knitting weekends put on by the publishers of Knitters magazine.

The other national shows take place in the South, West and Midwest areas. Typically these shows stay in one city for three years and then move on to another, but the Hartford show has been so well received the past three years that Stitches East signed up for another three years at the Convention Center, which has pleased the attendees as well as all those businesses that would benefit by having those dollars stay in Connecticut. It certainly put a smile on all the Connecticut yarn stores who go as vendors.

This event boasts thousands of attendees from Maine to Maryland, and sometimes beyond. It is not unheard of to have knitters plan their trips to visit friends and family to coincide with Stitches shows. The weekend is packed with opportunities to not only shop, but to also see the latest knitting trends, in fashion, yarns, books, and knitting equipment.

The main event of the show is the classes with nationally and internationally recognized instructors. These classes are usually sold out very quickly, some, as fast as a day or two of release.

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The classes range from three to six hour sessions, and are for intermediate knitters as well as the more advanced and sometimes very adventurous knitter. There are also classes for crochet, beginning spinning and weaving, and even a felted scarf class. The market place which is open to the students on Thursday night is open to the public from Friday through Sunday. You can get more information about Stitches at www.knittinguniverse.com

This is a major marketing and sales event that takes months to plan for. You need to decide what you want to showcase at the show and then plan accordingly.

Yarns and sample garments need to be ordered, and this is where the knitting help from customers may need to be enlisted. The shop is currently in a state of organized upheaval, with boxes being packed with knitting yarns, kits, garments, and other vending necessities.

There is also the shipment of needed yarns that will arrive hopefully before the Daley Moving and Storage truck comes to pick up my merchandise.

One year, the UPS truck literally unloaded a last minute shipment and loaded it right into the awaiting van, only minutes before we were to drive away. The show itself is a whirlwind of activity from beginning to end, leaving everyone both exhausted and elated, and as stressful as can be, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Virginia (Ginger) Balch knits, weaves and spins in all things "fibery" at her shop In Sheep's Clothing Yarn Shop & Fiber Arts Studio at 98 Main St. Torrington www.in-sheeps-clothing.com or phone 860-482-3979.